Telecoms that contravene the Fraud Hazard Prevention Act (詐欺犯罪危害防制條例) and are consequently punished would be assigned with a limited number of telephone numbers within a designated period of time, an amendment to Regulations for Applying and Allocating Telecommunications Numbers (電信號碼申請及核配辦法) proposed by the Ministry of Digital Affairs said.
The amendment is subject to a 60-day public review before it takes effect.
The amendment is designed to reinforce the management of four-digit numbers that begin with “19,” which are usually assigned to government agencies offering emergency assistance, social aid organizations and charities, the ministry said yesterday.
Photo: Hsu Tzu-ling, Taipei Times
Some of the widely known numbers include the COVID-19 prevention hotline 1922, the Taipei City Government’s hotline for residents 1999 and Taiwan Railway Corp’s hotline 1933 for people to call when they see objects on railway lines.
Telephone numbers are rare national resources, so to prevent these special numbers from being abused for fraud, they are generally assigned to government agencies and state-run corporations, the ministry said.
As private organizations would be able to apply to use the special numbers, the regulations need to be amended to reinforce the management of the numbers, it said.
The amendment stipulates the conditions under which individuals and organizations must voluntarily return special service numbers to the government. When changing the use of these special numbers, they must file applications and secure approval from the government before they are allowed to continue using the numbers, the ministry said.
The amendment also lists the standards that must be met before individuals and organizations can apply for special service numbers. It also authorizes the ministry to conduct random inspections to ensure that the numbers are not abused and users are obligated to comply with the inspections.
Meanwhile the ministry has also proposed an amendment to the Subsidy, Reward and Assistance Regulations for Promoting Industry Innovation (數位發展部協助產業創新活動補助獎勵及輔導辦法), which authorizes it to subsidize, reward and assist digital industries in developing technology to deter fraud.
The amendment is subject to a 30-day public review period, the ministry said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS